Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The owner of this frame will be riding it on all kinds of surfaces-pavement good and bad , dirt roads, maybe some single track. The bike that does it all and is still a road bike with caliper brakes has become very popular, at least at my shop.This is the same fork crown I use on my Alfie town bike......lots of room for a large tire and a fender. The crown kind of looks like a Masi crown on steroids , wide but still sporting some '70's Italian style.There's room for up to a 700x35 c road tire and a 32 c 'cross tire. The tubes are pretty light as the rider is very light as well. The father of the customer has three of my frames....now I really know I'm getting old when I am building frames for the offspring of my customers !

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

These four hardy souls rode down from San Fransisco carrying loads of gear and mixing up the ride with some pedaling on old dirt tracks off the highway. I guess it was a tough ride as these guys were pretty tired when they came by the shop the next day. 100 miles with lots of hills and about 20 miles of dirt sounds like a really full day to me. They were all on hand built frames, one rider on a frame that he had build himself, one on a Boulder and two of my frames. I remember when I used to do tours like this....it has been a long time, almost 20 years since my last one.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

This purple road frame has a detail that I have not been asked for in quite awhile......a graphic design on the top tube. I think the painter pulled it off well. It definitely sets this frame apart .The frame will see a lot of centuries and long rides in Nor-Cal and elsewhere.From the side you can see that the headtube allows for a nice high bar position , good to for the lower back on those all day rides.Here's a top view of the graphic. I think other folks will start asking for little touches like this that make the bike unique. maybe it is the next thing that will replace panels......you never know.

A local woman on a team based here ordered this frame. It is a light but durable cyclocross frame mainly for racing. The front triangle tubes are NOS Easton , pretty much the most durable tubes at this weight.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

There's nothing like a 2 lb. 13 oz. frame that you can beat on for a good long time. That's what you get when you use the NOS American made stuff. This frame is from my stash of the lot that I purchased a few years ago. I'll be really sad when it is all gone. I can feel really good about the ride and longevity of this frame.This is a mixed batch of Scandium and 7005 that I started last week. I hope to have about eight frames off to the heat treater in about 8-9 more business days.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Yes, folks.....bikes just like this fixed-gear rolling house of ill-repute will be on display at the big stinkin' Whoopdedoo at Bruce Gordon cycles in Petaluma on June 26th. Last count there were eleven framebuilders and some other great folks from the industry . There will be the mini velodrome and some food and microbrew. It is shaping up to be a really great event and there is no charge for admission. The bike swap alone is worth the trip. I'll personally be bringing some stuff I though I would never cut loose......you'll have to just check it out.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

This frame may look exactly like a cyclocross frame but it isn't. It is what the customer calls a 'Dirt-phalt' frame made for a mix of riding. It is similar to the big-tire road bikes I have been building a lot of lately but it leans more toward 'cross as it has cantilever brakes instead of calipers. It is also made for a cyclocross fork which is about 18 mm taller than a big-tire road fork.This version is mostly scandium with some 7005 stays. It will be paired with 700x28 c tires but will fit just about anything from 30 c on down.The seatstays are pretty tight as there is no need for big mud clearance. Like I said, it is not a cyclocross frame.Too bad my camera is dying...the focus is starting to go on the close up shots. It's a pity because the welds on this frame are about as nice as I have ever done in this material.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

If this frame looks a little odd to you, it is because the top tube slopes the opposite way of most road frames. This rider has been riding this position since he was a teenager and seems to be pretty good with it. The heat tube is very short allowing for a low bar position, nice for out of the saddle climbing.The BB-30 and integrated head tube make this frame about as light a build as I can offer at 2 lbs. 8 oz.There will be some press in retainers that hold the bearings. This is good as they can be replaced if they wear. Many integrated systems do not have this feature.